Shree Krishna’s Approach
Actual Gita upadesha by Bhagvan Shree Krishna begins in V2.11 and goes till V18.66. Most of Sanatana dharma scriptures uses āroha paddhati (आरोह पद्धति). i.e. Knowledge delivery starts at lower levels, going higher with each step, from transactional reality to transcendental reality, from dharma to brahman. This makes sense considering readiness of average student and his capacity to absorb.
However, here Shree Krishna uses a different technique. He uses avaroha paddhati (अवरोह पद्धति), starting with the highest truth first and then slowly coming down – i.e. from the transcendental to transactional reality. This can be explained in various ways. First, the emotional state of Arjun demanded the highest shock first (patient needed to be taken to emergency, first aid would not do). Second is to cater to various types of students of Gita. For the advanced student, chapter 2 (or even few early shlokas) may be enough. However, for beginners, further clarification is given when needed. Thus, avaroha paddhati is most suitable for various types of audiences.
Wise Do Not Grieve
Arjun is in the middle of battlefield, to fight a righteous war as his duty; and grieving for his opponents, for whom he should not be grieving for. However, grief is natural. It makes us human. But grief becomes suffering when one holds on to it and keeps revisiting it again and again. Wisdom prevents grief from becoming suffering. Such wisdom, acquired by the learned (पण्डित), comes through the right knowledge – Vivek (विवेक बुद्धि), ability to differentiate between right vs wrong, eternal vs ephemeral, delusion vs reality. The right knowledge destroys one’s delusion and thus removing suffering. Just like darkness and light cannot coexist, wisdom and suffering cannot coexist.
#BGCore# पण्डिताः न अनुशोचन्ति (Ref V2.11)
However, to be able to learn, one must have acceptance of ignorance. Cup must be empty before it can be filled. Shree Krishna points at Arjun’s apparently filled cup, indicating Arjun, though speaking intelligently, is actually a fool (प्रज्ञावादान् भाषसे). One can wake up a person who is sleeping, but one cannot wake up the one who is pretending to sleep.
As long as one identifies himself as a body, there is a birth and death. But when one realizes that he is pure consciousness, he becomes eternal. In V2.12, Krishna clearly and unequivocally says, all of us were always there in the past and will always remain in the future – not as a body, but as consciousness.
To cement this message further, Shri Krishna further describes nature of “body” in V2.13. Our body is a created from five elements (Space, Air, Fire, Water, Earth). Anything that is created must disintegrate. Thus, it is the nature of body to constantly change and disintegrate. Death (of body) is just another type of change. Childhood dies and adulthood is born. Death of the “old” is birth of “new”. When body gets old, the occupant of the body (consciousness) leaves this body and gets a new one.
Wise one who realize this wisdom, i.e. eternity of Self and impermanence of body, does not grieve. They see themselves as a witness, a constant factor, witnessing the ever-changing body (and the world). They do not get deluded, as they understand difference between sentient (चित्त) and insentient (जड). They understand that the death is just disconnection of the sentient from the insentient (and birth is reconnection).
While all this may make sense intellectually, but how can one attain such state of identification with the consciousness and not with the body? Shri Krishna explains this through sadhana of practicing Titiksha (तितिक्षा) in verses V2.14 and 2.15.
Titiksha can be simplistically defined as endurance or forbearance. However, it is much more than that. It is an art of staying equanimous (समदुःखसुखम्) amongst varied experiences. It is one of the highest sadhana to purify and strengthen the mind and gradually shift our identification. Lord goes on to say, the one who stays equanimous in pleasure and pain, is eligible for immortality – i.e. shift of identification to immortal consciousness.
Of course, the question arises, how to stay equanimous amongst various experiences? Pleasure and pain are very different, like day and night. One can’t be equal in such opposite experiences. Shri Krishna defines pleasure and pain as experiences born out of contact of senses with their sense objects (मात्रास्पर्शाः). When one identifies with body, experiences like hot and cold are felt. Similarly, identification with mind causes experiences like joy and sorrow (शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः), and identification with intellect causes experiences like praise and criticism. However, these are all transient (अनित्याः) in nature. They appear and disappear, come and go (आगमापायिनः). They must be “seen” as witness. They must be endured – and thus lord instructs Arjun to endure them.
#BGCore# तान् तितिक्षस्व (Ref V2.14).
We suffer because we are not ready to accept the change. On the contrary, change is the law of nature. Lord instructs us to shift our attention from temporary, ever changing (Body, Mind, Intellect and associated experiences) to the permanent (Atma).
Atma, the consciousness, is the constant substratum on which experiences keep dancing (appear and disappear). Shifting identification to this constant unchanging substratum makes one wise (धीरः) and eligible for immorality.
श्रीकृष्णार्पणम् अस्तु ।
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